


all acquaintance be forgot

by weatheredlaw



Category: Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Challenge: Fic a Day in May, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 18:03:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6818497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>and never brought to mind</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	all acquaintance be forgot

**Author's Note:**

> i'm cheating really hard right now. this is something i posted a while ago and deleted because i no longer wanted to do a series about these two. but it's finals week so you're getting this again, after some SERIOUS EDITING OH GOSH.

It isn’t that he’s a killjoy. Not by any sort of self-admission. Lysandre will say he is, but Lysandre says a lot of things, a great deal of them uncomfortable and rather odd. To call Augustine a killjoy could be simply overlooked as another part of the day’s ranting and raving. Still – it is Lysandre who is out on the town, this evening, having a wonderful time, drinking the night away as each aging minute ticks by.

And it is Augustine who steps out of the shower at ten, is dressed by ten-oh-five, has his teeth brushed by ten after, and the lights out by ten-fifteen. It’s a quarter ‘til when he’s starting to drift off – which is of course when the fireworks begin popping in the yard next door. He spots a handful of Chimecho in the yard, their bells making sweet sounds against the music. A few people have their Illumise out of their Pokéballs, rolling like glitter across the grass.

Augustine throws the widow open, leans halfway out of it, and finds small party happening in the house just behind him. At the foot of the bed, his Froakie makes a little noise of disapproval, and burrows under the blankets.

“ _You can’t wait til midnight?_ ” he shouts, watching them lean toward the low fence, trying to hear. The group collectively pushes a woman forward, and even from his precarious spot across the yard, Augustine can see her cheeks are flushed, eyes bright and hand clutching a glass of wine.

“I’m _sorry!_ ” she shouts back. She certainly _sounds_ it. “I really am. Only we’re just trying to make sure they work, and we just wanted to test one, but we got a bit carried away.” She peers at him. “Are you in bed, darling?”

“I…I have a very busy day tomorrow.”

“Oh, _come now._ It’s New Year’s Eve! You should come over and have a drink with us.” She takes a sip of her wine and grins. “You can stay in your pj’s, if you’d rather.”

Augustine blushes, shaking his head. “That’s awfully kind of you, but I’ll just…I’ll stay here tonight. I do appreciate it.”

The woman shrugs, raising her glass in farewell. “It’s your choice, darling. Happy New Year to you, then.”

Augustine nods. “Ah, yes. Same—” He clears his throat. “Same to you.”

He closes the window before he can embarrass himself any further.

 

* * *

 

Miraculously, he sleeps through all the rest of the night, rising just after dawn and stumbling downstairs to make himself a pot of coffee.

“ _Froakie._ ”

“We slept fine,” he mutters, yawning through the sentence and spooning grounds into the coffee maker. “We don’t have time to stay up for that nonsense.” Froakie nods his approval. “We’ve got to go into the lab, you know. It’ll be quiet. We’ll be able to get some work done—”

The doorbell rings.

“ _Froak._ ”

“I know. It’s terribly early.” Augustine pushes the button for the coffee maker and runs a hand through his hair. He looks out the window and frowns. “It’s that woman.”

“ _Fro. Froakie._ ”

“I suppose it can’t do any harm.” He sighs and opens the door.

“ _Professor Sycamore._ ”

“I’m…I’m sorry?”

“ _You’re_ Professor Sycamore! And I’m the idiot who kept you awake last night. No wonder you were in bed.” She looks past him. “Might I come in? It’s been a terribly long morning.”

“Of course.” Augustine steps aside and shuts the door behind her. “I’m…sorry. I didn’t catch your name?”

“Oh, I never quite said it, did I? I’m Diantha. I live in the city part-time. I bought the house behind you a month or so ago? But then I had to go out of town again and we were never properly introduced.” She sighs, turning and leaning against his kitchen counter. “I feel so guilty about last night. You can forgive me, can’t you?”

“Um. What?”

She frowns. “I’ve offended you, haven’t I?”

“No?”

“No!” She straightens up. “Oh. Well now. I…I seem to have made a fool of myself in front of you. And twice in two days. I apologize.” Her cheeks are pink, endearingly so. Augustine smiles.

“There is nothing to apologize for.”

“There isn’t.”

“No. I’m…cranky. And I’ve no reason to be, honestly. I’m not old, I slept just fine, and you seemed like you were having a wonderful time. Honestly, I should have accepted your invitation. I’m the one who should apologize. I was a terrible neighbor.”

“No. You were perfectly wonderful.”

“As…as were you.”

Across from them, the coffee percolates loudly, disrupting the moment.

“I…I should go. You have quite the busy day, I’m sure.”

Augustine sighs. “I…well. I thought about grabbing a bite, before I went in. Perhaps you could join me? I could give you a tour of the lab, you could see what I’ve been working on. If it interests you.”

Diantha’s face brightens, and he’s a little surprised she doesn’t clap her hands. “ _Oh!_ Oh, that sounds _lovely._ I wouldn’t miss it. You come by when you’re ready, then?”

“Certainly. Give me just under an hour.”

“Of course. I’ll see you very soon, professor.”

He shakes his head. “Call me Augustine, please.”

Diantha nods. “Augustine. Yes. Yes, of course. That’s very fitting. I’ll see you, then. Don’t dawdle too long.”

He smiles as she opens the door and heads back out. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he murmurs.

His little Pokémon nudges his foot. “ _Froakie._ ”

Augustine chuckles. “My thoughts exactly.”


End file.
